Omega Speedmaster Ladies 38mm chronograph

Baselworld 2010 starts only in a couple of hours, but the Swiss watch making brand has already revealed a number of its new offering for the year. One of them, is the beautiful Omega Speedmaster Ladies 38mm chronograph (ref. 324.28.38.40.06.001) watch.

Coming in a round 38 mm case made of brushed stainless steel, the new Omega features an 18-carat pink gold bezel, which is studded with 54 diamonds, as well as a winding/setting crown and chronograph push-pieces made of the same material. Combined with dark chocolate brown dial and a grey alligator leather strap, the choice of materials makes the Omega Speedmaster Ladies 38mm a truly desirable piece of work.

What is a bit surprising (in a good way) about this new timepiece is that the ref. 324.28.38.40.06.001 features a very useful water resistance rating of 10 ATM (100 meters.) Although I can’t really imagine a person taking a shower wearing this beautiful specimen of industrial design, the watertight gaskets around the crown and case back cover significantly reduce risks for the mechanism in case the watch is accidentally dropped into a pool or something like that.

Inside, the watch has an Omega Calibre 3304 automatic COSC-certified chronometer movement with a power reserve of 44 hours and a small date indicator. Normally watches powered by this movement have their date window located between 4 and 5 o’clock. However, this one has the date window moved clockwise to 6 o’clock, where it eats a small chunk of real estate reserved for the 12-hour chronograph totalizer.

As you can see on the photos, there are actually three sub-dials with the one at 3 o’clock showing another –30-minute– chronograph counter and the one at 9 o’clock displaying the small second indicator. As usual, the central second hand is also reserved for the chronograph function.

Some people may raise an eyebrow at the idea of turning what is essentially a line of men’s watches into a lot more sensual thing designed for women, but, hey, I have seen a number of women wearing Rolex Submariners and even a men’s version of the Omega Seamaster, so there is definitely a noticeable demand for this kind of timepieces from modern ladies.

It is a good thing that Omega doesn’t shy from fulfilling this desire.

It is not yet clear when the first batch of these new Speedmasters will start to arrive to Omega’s boutiques around the world, but the price has already been revealed. According to numerous sources, the Swiss brand will recommend to sell the timekeepers at a minimum street price of around $13,000 depending on local taxes and custom duties.